The GPS (Global Positioning System) on a truck stolen from Kamloops played a part in helping Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP capture a pair of suspects Sunday.
At around 7 a.m., officers were alerted to a stolen white Ford F250 from Kamloops may be headed toward Vernon.
“The truck was being tracked by its GPS,” said Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk.
Officers set up on Highway 97 to locate, identify and hopefully stop the truck without causing suspicion to the driver.
Information from the GPS showed the truck was travelling at speeds of up to 130 km/hour.
“The truck was identified and initially allowed to pass our members then followed at a distance that remained out of site of the driver and lone passenger,” said Molendyk. “Our officers radioed ahead to others in Vernon.”
The truck entered into city limits where an officer in an unmarked vehicle was used to track the movements and to let officers know where it was heading to set up to arrest the suspects.
At one point, said Molendyk, the driver swerved into the unmarked police car.
“These actions caused the truck to drive onto the shoulder of the road and into a tree,” said Molendyk, adding that this happened in the area of 36th Avenue and 36th Street near Alexis Park.
The driver of the truck, a 34-year-old man from the Hope area, was arrested with the assistance of the police service dog team. He gave up without incident when the dog closed in.
A woman in the truck, a 25-year-old from Chilliwack, was chased down by an officer after attempting to flee the scene.
Molendyk said the man is currently on parole and has been remanded in the custody. The woman was released on a province to appear in court. Multiple charges are being recommended on both suspects.
Nobody was injured and there was only minor damage to the stolen truck and police car.
“The police action in this case was handled with minimal risk to the public,” said Molendyk.
